1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display screen turning apparatus and a television set, and more particularly, it relates to a display screen turning apparatus and a television set each comprising a display screen support member supporting a display screen portion.
2. Description of the Background Art
A display screen turning apparatus comprising a display screen support member supporting a display screen portion of a liquid crystal television or the like is known in general, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laying Open Nos. 2007-334112, 2007-293245 and 2007-295476, for example.
A hinge apparatus (display screen turning apparatus) of a flat panel display disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-334112 comprises an anteroposterior tilting mechanism including a tilting support plate (display screen support member) supporting a lower portion of a flat panel display (display screen portion), a horizontal pivot provided below the tilting support plate and transmitting tilting (anteroposterior rotation by a prescribed angle with respect to a vertical plane) of the tilting support plate, a pair of coupling members provided in the vicinity of both ends of the horizontal pivot respectively and fixed on the horizontal pivot and the tilting support plate, and a plurality of friction discs provided on the both ends of the horizontal pivot and holding a tilting position of the tilting transmitted from the horizontal pivot. The hinge apparatus of the flat panel display further comprises a horizontal rotational mechanism including a rotating plate provided with the horizontal pivot on an upper surface, an operative gear fixed to a lower portion of the rotating plate and rotating the rotating plate in a horizontal direction in a horizontal plane, and a plurality of discs holding a rotational position of the operative gear through a small gear meshing with the operative gear. In this hinge apparatus of the flat panel display described in Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-334112, when the flat panel display is manually tilted in the anteroposterior direction, the coupling members fixing the tilting support plate tilt and the tilting is transmitted to the friction discs by the horizontal pivot fixing the coupling members through the tilting support plate, so that the titling position of the tilting support plate is held. When the flat panel display is manually rotated in the horizontal direction in the horizontal plane, the operative gear fixed to the rotating plate rotates in the horizontal plane and the rotation is transmitted to the plurality of friction discs through the small gear meshing with the operative gear through the rotating plate, so that the rotational position of the rotating plate is held. Thus, the flat panel display is tiltable in the anteroposterior direction and rotatable in the horizontal direction, and is so formed that the anteroposterior tilting state and the horizontal rotational state of the flat panel display are held.
A hinge apparatus (display screen turning apparatus) of a flat panel display disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-293245 comprises an anteroposterior tilting mechanism including a tilting support plate (display screen support member) supporting a flat panel display (display screen portion), a driving portion formed by an electric motor, a screw provided below the tilting support plate at a position separated from a center of the tilting support plate and moving upward and downward by driving force from the driving portion, and an elevating member provided on an upper portion of the screw and supporting the tilting support plate from below. The hinge apparatus of the flat panel display further comprises a horizontal rotational mechanism including a driving portion formed by an electric motor, a rotating plate provided with an anteroposterior tilting mechanism on an upper surface, a gear fixed below the rotating plate and rotating the rotating plate in the horizontal direction by driving force from the driving portion. In this hinge apparatus of the flat panel display described in Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-293245, the tilting support plate is tilted in the anteroposterior direction through the elevating member by moving the screw upward and downward by the electric motor, and the rotating plate is rotated in the horizontal direction by rotating the gear in the horizontal direction by the electric motor.
The aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-295476 discloses a rotating apparatus comprising a driving portion, a disc member having a protrusion and transmitting driving force, and a ring member having a groove portion receiving the protrusion and transmitting driving force to the disc member. This rotating apparatus described in Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-295476 is so formed that the disc member can be rotated in the horizontal plane by the driving force from the driving portion and the disc member can be rotated in the horizontal plane by slipping the protrusion in the groove portion when force is manually applied. This Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-295476 does not disclose a mechanism for rotating the rotating apparatus in the anteroposterior direction by a prescribed angle with respect to the vertical plane.
In the hinge apparatus of the flat panel display described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-334112, however, since the weight of the flat panel display is applied to the coupling members and hence a load is disadvantageously applied to a fixing portion of the coupling members and the horizontal pivot or the tilting support plate. Thus, it is conceivable that the coupling members for rotating the tilting support plate in the anteroposterior direction by the prescribed angle with respect to the vertical plane is disadvantageously easily to be damaged.
In the aforementioned hinge apparatus of the flat panel display described in Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-293245, it is necessary to apply pressing force from below to the tilting support plate by moving the screw and the elevating member vertically upward to rotate the tilting support plate in the anteroposterior direction, and hence the weight of the flat panel display, acting vertically downward disadvantageously has a great impact. Thus, large force is disadvantageously required in order to rotate the tilting support plate in the anteroposterior direction by the prescribed angle with respect to the vertical plane. When the screw and the elevating member move in the vertical direction, the weight of the flat panel display, acting vertically downward is disadvantageously substantially concentrated on the screw and the elevating member. Thus, it is conceivable that the screw and the elevating member for rotating the tilting support plate in the anteroposterior direction by the prescribed angle with respect to the vertical plane is disadvantageously easily to be damaged.
The rotating apparatus described in the aforementioned Japanese Patent Laying Open No. 2007-295476 is so formed that the disc member can be rotated in the horizontal plane, and hence the display screen portion and the like provided on the upper portion of the rotating apparatus can not be disadvantageously rotated in the anteroposterior direction by the prescribed angle with respect to the vertical plane.